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Unemployment Hit Record Breaking 11.2% Statewide in March
And these numbers are expected to continue to rise through the summer. 62,100 jobs were lost last month, pushing the state's unemployment from 10.6% to the current 11.2%, the highest since 1976 when the U.S. Government began keeping records. Over the last year, 637,400 jobs have been lost. The western states represent the worst job loss region with 9.8%, more than a point higher than the national average, which is 8.5%.